75 research outputs found

    An analysis of the mediational effect of socio-cultural factors on student’s career choice outcomes in the built environment: applying the socio-cognitive career theory

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    Investigations into career development revealed the significant influence of social and cultural determinants, notably familial factors, on children’s professional aspirations. Such aspirations are moulded by their milieu, individual interests, academic environments, and socio-economic contexts. South Africa’s unique socio-political history introduces complexity into career development pathways. The intricate relationships between ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds vis-a-vis career outcomes of South African youth remain underexplored. This research aimed to understand these influences within the construction domain, emphasising cognitive facets such as self-efficacy and societal endorsements. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) served as the foundational framework, with structural equation modelling employed for causal analysis. A focus was given to early university students, predominantly from Construction Management. The study showcased pathways for informed career decisions in construction and underscored the relevance of the SCCT, especially for women in traditionally male-dominated sectors. The study culminated in unveiling pathways for informed career decisions in construction, reinforcing the pertinence of the SCCT framework, especially concerning women in traditionally male-dominated spheres like construction. Acknowledging the scarcity of empirical studies using SCCT within the construction sphere is pertinent

    Awareness and knowledge of the sustainable development goals in a University Community in Southwestern Nigeria

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    Background: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a globally  accepted developmental agenda, and it is expected that everyone everywhere in the world would be aware, knowledgeable and be willing to contribute to its  attainment. This study aims to assess the level of awareness, knowledge of, and attitudes towards the SDGs among members of a university community. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 450 students and staff of Osun State University, Southwestern Nigeria, selected from three of its six  multi-campuses via multi-stage sampling. Data were collected by means of  semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The mean age for the respondents was 26(10.2) years. Only 43% of the respondents were aware of the SDGs and only 4.2% had good knowledge of the SDGs. However, 56.3% had positive attitude towards it. More respondents with good knowledge of the SDGs were either acadenic staff or those have been  enlightened via personal study of the SDGs or through other means. Similarly having a positive attitude was associated with being an academic staff/ high level of education as well as belonging to the middle age group. (p<0.05). Conclusion: The awareness of and attitudes towards the SDGs was just fair. However, the level of knowledge was abysmally low, and this has serious  negative implications for SDGs attainment. Pertinent individual and  population-level methods of enlightening people about the SDGs must be put in place in educational settings; curricular changes are imperative. Keywords: Attitudes, Awareness, Knowledge, MDGs, SDGs, University

    An Analysis of the Mediational Effect of Socio-Cultural Factors on Student’s Career Choice Outcomes in the Built Environment: Applying the Socio-Cognitive Career Theory

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    Investigations into career development revealed the significant influence of social and cultural determinants, notably familial factors, on children’s professional aspirations. Such aspirations are moulded by their milieu, individual interests, academic environments, and socio-economic contexts. South Africa’s unique socio-political history introduces complexity into career development pathways. The intricate relationships between ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds vis-a-vis career outcomes of South African youth remain underexplored. This research aimed to understand these influences within the construction domain, emphasising cognitive facets such as self-efficacy and societal endorsements. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) served as the foundational framework, with structural equation modelling employed for causal analysis. A focus was given to early university students, predominantly from Construction Management. The study showcased pathways for informed career decisions in construction and underscored the relevance of the SCCT, especially for women in traditionally male-dominated sectors. The study culminated in unveiling pathways for informed career decisions in construction, reinforcing the pertinence of the SCCT framework, especially concerning women in traditionally male-dominated spheres like construction. Acknowledging the scarcity of empirical studies using SCCT within the construction sphere is pertinent

    A Bibliometric Review of the Status and Emerging Research Trends in Construction Safety Management Technologies

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    Technologies such as virtual reality (VR), online databases, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Building Information Modelling (BIM), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), 4D Computer-Aided Design (4D CAD), wearable robotics have been adopted to improve construction site health and safety. However, little attempt has been made to map global research on construction health and safety technologies. Therefore, this paper conducts a review of technologies for construction health and safety management to reveal emerging research trends. A bibliometric review adopting a two-step literature selection method was conducted to compile relevant publications from the Scopus database. In total, 240 related papers were examined. VOSviewer was used to develop a co-occurrence network based on the bibliographic data obtained. The analysis focused on co-authorship per country, country/ region distribution, the number of publications annually, publication source and source and trend of research topics. Findings revealed that emerging trends in construction health and safety technologies research focused on project health and safety design and planning, visualisation and image processing for construction projects, digital technologies for project monitoring, information management and Internet of Things, automation and robotic systems, health and safety and accident prevention and structure evaluation

    Smart Grid Systems in Nigeria: Prospects, Issues, Challenges and Way Forward

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    The ability of the power system to deliver to its consumer electrical energy at an expected level of reliability is correlated with the economic development of a country. The Nigerian power system faces many challenges, varying from overdue infrastructure maintenance, obsolete tools and appliances, insufficient electricity supply, corruption, etc. A gradual shift from manual to smart digital technologies include; smart metering, distributed generation (renewable energy and microgrid), and management using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. In response, research, investments, and upgrade to the power sector are fundamental. This paper discusses and analyses the various smart grid technologies utilised in the Nigerian power system with their effects, impacts, deployment, and integration into the traditional Nigerian power grid. Also discussed are issues and challenges of smart grid deployment and ways of mitigating these challenges

    Chronic Kidney Disease and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Cognitive Study

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    To investigate cognitive impairment in older, ethnically diverse individuals with a broad range of kidney function, to evaluate a spectrum of cognitive domains, and to determine whether the relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cognitive function is independent of demographic and clinical factors.Cross-sectional.Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study.Eight hundred twenty-five adults aged 55 and older with CKD.Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ) was estimated using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Cognitive scores on six cognitive tests were compared across eGFR strata using linear regression; multivariable logistic regression was used to examine level of CKD and clinically significant cognitive impairment (score ≤1 standard deviations from the mean).Mean age of the participants was 64.9, 50.4% were male, and 44.5% were black. After multivariable adjustment, participants with lower eGFR had lower cognitive scores on most cognitive domains ( P <.05). In addition, participants with advanced CKD (eGFR<30) were more likely to have clinically significant cognitive impairment on global cognition (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.0, 95% CI=1.1–3.9), naming (AOR=1.9, 95% CI=1.0–3.3), attention (AOR=2.4, 95% CI=1.3–4.5), executive function (AOR=2.5, 95% CI=1.9–4.4), and delayed memory (AOR=1.5, 95% CI=0.9–2.6) but not on category fluency (AOR=1.1, 95% CI=0.6–2.0) than those with mild to moderate CKD (eGFR 45–59).In older adults with CKD, lower level of kidney function was associated with lower cognitive function on most domains. These results suggest that older patients with advanced CKD should be screened for cognitive impairment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78647/1/j.1532-5415.2009.02670.x.pd

    Donor Morbidity After Living Donation for Liver Transplantation

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    Reports of complications among adult right hepatic lobe donors have been limited to single centers. The rate and severity of complications in living donors were investigated in the 9-center Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study (A2ALL)
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